Tag Archives: wine country remodel

here’s a peek through the front door and out the back – the entry will same size doors at both sides to keep it open, breezy, and quick access around the long house. there is a deep, flat roof over the front door to give the stoop shelter in the rain and break up the roofline and alert people “here! this is the entry!”walking up to the front door location, here’s the view through the foyer and out the back door. you can see there is a roof overhang on the wall to the right out the back door – we ended up cutting this back to the wall = no more overhang there. the challenge of working on a boomerang shaped house! once inside the entry ‘foyer’ (such a formal word…) you turn left through a short passage and this is the view into the vaulted great room: the kitchen will be to the right, and a small den area to the left. the existing wood burning fireplace will now get a gas insert, a change from the original plan.walking across the room, standing in between the living and dining areas and looking back; kitchen on left, entry foyer is through the passage to the right. the ceiling was previously flat with a roof truss system: the webs and lower chord were removed; the top chord remains but with new sistered rafters alongside. the side walls are 9′ tall; the high point of the room is 16′ tall to the ridge beam. this is a view out through 16′ sliding doors of the living room side; there are matching doors on the dining room side as well. Continue reading →

aptly named for its existing plan shape, this ranch sits at the edge of vineyards in northern Napa County. This is the youngest house we’ve ever brought to the studs – built in 1988. Back then I was walking to the corner store with a friend, buying Cool Ranch Doritos and hearing Sweet Child O Mine croon from the radio as I passed by fields of the upstate NY type. (maybe this should be called Cool Ranch?!)the house is well-built and was cared for, but it just needs a little jolt from us to kick up the dust and bring it to 2016. Axl is still trying to make it happen but that doesn’t mean this house has to. one of the cool things about this ranch is that it came with original blueprints. hand-drawn plans and details! as you can imagine, one of the first things we thought of was to vault the ceilings and really appreciate / experience that gabled roof shape, from inside. that means removing a ton of trusses, 24″ o.c. … it’s a lovely location. the first thing you see from the road is the garage door, none of us like this but it has stay – only getting a makeover. below are a few more shots around the outside. where’s the front door?!tons of butterceam yellow, eek – I really only like this on a cupcake. it’s really weird to me to see massive roofs leaning on spindly little posts. like I said, the house is ‘nice’ but isn’t living up to its potential in this location. out in the back is the water tank building. around wine country you often see old water towers, with the tank at the top. this property has two wells. we’re looking toward the rear yard, from where large doors will be located. inside is just, blah. finishes aren’t amazing, flat ceilings throughout, gigantoid fireplace and concrete hearth. sidenote: there are some brass faucets that were hot in ’88 and despised until a few years ago. it’s all cyclical. here are a few proposed renderings, showing the new entry and vaulted ceilings with rafters. below are some more recent shots of what’s been going on: from underwhelming entry to chopped off entry! the cupolas are staying, a client decision that I think is a good one. photo on the left above is a slice through the house, at the boomerang ‘elbow’ where the new main entrance will be. see one of the wells in the foreground. on the right, to the studs: the future dining / living area and soon to be removed trusses. at the back / north end of the house will be the master bed & bathroom. the photo below is the stunning vineyard view directly across the street when leaving the driveway. this is why I’ve always said I feel like I can finally breathe when I get into the country – air, space, light, views, nature. stay tuned, more to come!

Things are looking skeletal in Sonoma as the farmhouse is stripped down for rebuilding walls – insulating, plumbing, electric and new window / door locations. Above is a view into what was the bathroom and dressing room. Like an open-air pavilion, the existing roof hovers above the completely open floor – seems like it wants to lift off! In the far end will become the great room – living / dining / kitchen. Here is a look at the beginnings of the master bedroom addition. On the upper right is an attic window that may become a fort for the kids. The addition will be connected to the existing / old house by a glass hallway, framed here. It forms a small recessed area perfect for plantings. A few weeks later, plywood on the framing starts to give shape to the addition – a simple gable structure, which seemed appropriate for this house and its locale. The low gable seen to the right on the old house will be rebuilt to match the pitch of the addition roof. A look from inside at the master bedroom gable wall. There will be two windows stacked vertically. Here I am standing on a heap of soil outside the house – not my typical site-visit attire! (we were on the way home from a casual weekend trip and we dropped in)